1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to call management using a routing engine in a communications system, and more specifically, to call management techniques that involve processing by the engine after an initial call connection has been established in the system.
2. Brief Description of Related Prior Art
Systems for managing and routing calls through public and/or private communications networks are known in the art. Conventional automatic call distribution (ACD) systems route calls to agents in telemarketing and service inquiry centers, and provide limited real-time call management and reporting capabilities. A typical ACD system will monitor the status of the agent and, when an incoming call is received, selects the agent to handle a particular service request. Reporting and performance data from the agents are also generated by the ACD.
One particular type of scheme for distributing calls to agents is disclosed in Frauenthal et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,983. According to Frauenthal et al., data representing the present call congestion of each of the ACD systems is accumulated in a data base. Using the data in the data base, the percentage of calls made to the ACD systems, as a group, is determined. The information is then used to generate call routing information. When a new call is made to the central office, the routing information is queried to determine which of the ACD systems is to receive the call, so as to balance the call traffic load across the ACD systems.
Another call management and distribution scheme is provided in Gechter et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,535. This patent discloses a system for automatically distributing telephone calls placed over a network to one of a plurality of agent stations connected to the network via service interfaces, and providing status messages to the network. Gechter et al.""s disclosed system includes means for receiving the agent status messages and call arrival messages from the network, which means are connected via a network service interface to the network. Routing means responsive to the receiving means is provided for generating a routing signal provided to the network to connect the incoming call to an agent station through the network. In the system disclosed in Gechter et al., when an incoming call is made to the call router, it decides which agent station should receive the call, establishes a call with that agent station, and then transfers the original call onto the second call to connect the incoming caller directly to the agent station and then drops out of the connection (See, Gechter et al., column 11, lines 45-51).
Other prior art call management, routing, and distribution techniques are disclosed in Andrews et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,130 issued on Mar. 2, 1999, which is assigned to the assignee of the subject application. This patent discloses a communications system and method for automatically making telephone routing decisions with global authority based upon information gathered in real time from the entire communications system and global optimization criteria. The entirety of the disclosure of the Andrews et al. patent is incorporated herein by reference.
In conventional systems that implement the call processing techniques disclosed in the Andrews et al. patent, it is often desirable to facilitate certain xe2x80x9cpost-routingxe2x80x9d call processing features. A call is considered to undergo xe2x80x9cpost-routingxe2x80x9d processing when, after the call has already been initially routed to an initial destination, the same call is again processed such that another destination or called device becomes involved in the call. Examnples of conventional xe2x80x9cpost-routingxe2x80x9d call processing features include, e.g., the ability to transfer a call, initially routed to a first called device (e.g., an ACD and/or interactive voice response (IVR) unit-containing system) via a public network, from the first called device to a second, remote called device, the ability to conference the calling device and/or the first called device with the second called device, etc. Such post-routing call processing may be initiated by the first called device, and when the called devices comprise ACD or IVR systems typically is facilitated by one or more telecommunications inter-site tie-lines connecting the first and second called devices.
Unfortunately, the use of such inter-site tie-lines increases the cost and complexity of implementing post-routing call processing features. Also unfortunately, when such inter-site tie-lines are used to facilitate such post-routing call processing features, telecommunications resources of the first called device typically must be used to maintain the call connection to the second called device, even when the type of post-routing call processing feature being executed does not require information exchange between the calling device and the first called device. Disadvantageously, this results in inefficient use of such telecommunications resources.
Other prior art communications systems utilize conventional integrated services data network (ISDN) and American Telephone and Telegraph (ATandT) technologies to carry out such post-routing call processing features, without using such inter-site tie-lines. However, such prior art communications systems do not provide means for centralized control of the public network and local switch resources. Disadvantageously, this undesirably increases the cost and complexity associated with implementing such postrouting call processing features in such systems.
Thus, it would be desirable to eliminate the need to use such inter-site tie-lines to facilitate post-routing call processing features, and to provide a mechanism that ensures that telecommunications resources of called devices are used more efficiently than in the prior art.
According to the present invention, call management techniques are provided that overcome the aforesaid and other disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. More specifically, in the techniques of the present invention, a public network is used in place of inter-site tie-lines between called devices, to facilitate implementation of conventional types of post-routing call processing features. Also in accordance with the present invention, one or more messages may be provided to one or more called devices after a call routing engine has taken action to initiate execution of a desired post-routing call processing feature by the network; the one or more called devices, in response to these messages, may control and reallocate their resources so as to more efficiently make use thereof than in the prior art. Additionally, in the present invention, the public network and local switch resources are centrally controlled so as to facilitate implementation of such call processing features, and local switch resources and the public network may be thought of as a single virtual switch for purposes of implementing such features.
In one embodiment of a call management method according to the present invention, the engine receives a first call management message that causes the engine to initiate establishment of a first connection, via a public network (e.g., a long distance carrier network), between one called device, and either or both of another called device and a calling device. The engine receives the message at a time when the calling device is already connected to the another device via the public network. The first message is initial ated by the another called device and includes two or more information fields. The engine, in response to the received message, issues a second call management message that initiates establishment by the network of the first connection, and also issues a third call management message to the another called device that indicates that the first message has been processed and acted upon.
The method may include selection by the engine of a destination label (e.g., corresponding to a destination dialed number identification service (DNIS) or trunk identification number) in the network that corresponds to the one called device, and specification by the engine of the label in the second call management message.
Alternatively, the network may place, in accordance with the second call management message, the calling device in a hold status and establish the first connection such that the first connection is between the another called device and the one called device, via the network. In this alternative embodiment, the first call management message may request that alternating connections be made, via the public network, between the another called device and the one called device, and between the another called device and the calling device, respectively. In this alternative embodiment, a subsequent call management message may request that the another called device be disconnected from the calling device. In a variation of this alternative method, the subsequent call management message may request that the one called device be connected to the calling device via the network and that the another called device be disconnected from the calling device.
The one and another called devices may each comprise a respective voice response unit (VRU) connected to the public network and/or a respective ACD system connected to the network. The calling device may be external to the VRU and ACD systems comprised in the called devices.
Advantageously, the techniques of the present invention eliminate the need to use inter-site tie-lines to implement conventional post-routing call processing features, thereby reducing the cost and complexity of implementing such features, according to the present invention, compared to the prior art. Also advantageously, the techniques of the present invention permit the public network to be centrally controlled so as to implement such features, and also permit local switching resources and the public network to be thought of as a single virtual switch for purposes of implementing such features.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments and methods of use, the present invention is not intended to be limited to these embodiments and methods of use. Rather, the present invention is of broad scope and is intended to be defined as only set forth in the accompanying claims.